WASHINGTON — In his first statement, since reports last week claimed he was organizing a group effort to ask that President Biden exit the presidential race, U.S. Senator Mark Warner (D, Va.) now says, "It is incumbent upon the president to more aggressively make his case to the American people."
Last week, The Washington Post was the first to report Warner was trying to assemble a group of Democrats to possibly pressure the president to step down.
In a statement released Monday, Warner said that "now is the time for conversations about the strongest path forward."
His full statement read:
"Another Trump term would be perilous for rule of law and for our democracy. President Biden has made America stronger, guiding the nation through some of our most difficult days. I am proud of my work on his agenda.
With so much at stake in the upcoming election, now is the time for conversations about the strongest path forward.
As these conversations continue, I believe it is incumbent upon the President to more aggressively make his case to the American people, and to hear directly from a broader group of voices about how to best prevent Trump’s lawlessness from returning to the White House."
Even under mounting pressure, President Biden defended his decision to stay in the race for re-election. He released a letter Monday morning to Congressional Democrats and continued to aggressively campaign.
In the letter, Biden said he is "fully committed to staying in this race."
Also on Monday, the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus released a statement in support of the Biden-Harris campaign, saying Biden is the only candidate the caucus trusts to make decisions for the good of the people.
Virginia's other U.S. senator, Democrat Tim Kaine, has previously said he supports President Biden, no matter what decision the president ultimately makes.
"If Joe Biden says, 'I can do this,' then I believe him, because he's never given me a reason not to believe him," Kaine told 13News Now on Friday. "And if Joe Biden concludes he can't, I think he is the kind of patriotic person who will take that George Washington move and say, 'It's time for someone else.'"